On Tues., Nov. 6, 2018, Americans of all parties, opinions, and legal voting ages took to the polls to use their voices in the country-wide midterm elections. Xavier students were among the voters.

This year, more than any other, voter participancy mattered. On both sides of the aisle, momentum was needed, by the people and for the people, to define the United States’ government for the next two years. This call was heard by the youth of America, the Xavier campus being no exception. Senior, Megan Woodbury, commented that “livelihoods and futures are dependent upon those in office, and I believe it’s necessary to have a say in who holds those leadership positions. When it comes to youth voting… knowledge and education on a candidate and their policies is vital to one’s civic duty, rather than solely agreeing with the words of commercials or others’ opinions.”

Several seniors worked for Governor Doug Ducey this year while a few more were among the many high school aged volunteers at the Democratic Headquarters, campaigning for Senator Kyrsten Sinema, now Senator. Reflecting on her time at the Democratic Headquarters, senior Mackenzie Bouis, says “interning at the Arizona Democratic Headquarters is an amazing experience because there is such a great sense of community and determination in the office.”

This election cycle, “Red Waves” and “Blue Waves” fought for ownership over several states. What this means is that several of the fifty states were vulnerable for a change in party dominance, including Arizona, and for the most part, these campaigning strategies were effective. In a broad overview of the election results, the Democratic party won majority in the House of Representatives, and the Republicans maintained their dominance in the Senate.

Arizona, in particular, saw the same form of split-party victories with a new, democratic Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, and a returning, conservative Governor, Doug Ducey. Both triumphs emphasized party loyalty and the impact of campaigning this round of midterms. Bouis says again that, “it was a great feeling when I heard that Kyrsten Sinema won because not only did I know my vote counted, but it was rewarding knowing that I had contributed to her campaign.” Similarly, regarding the gubernatorial race rather than the fight for Senate, Woodbury comments that “the re-election of Governor Doug Ducey was critical for our state’s future economy, security, and education.” These ladies prove that American youth have powerful, opinionated, impactful political voices which they are proud to use.

This year, the midterm elections were crucial for the future of our country as both Democrats and Republicans alike fought for political territory. Intricate in this process, however, was the youth of America, who threaded effort, advocacy and passion into the framework of democracy. Xavier is proud to recognize its students as such driven believers in political action.

For more voices of political action at Xavier, attend the next meeting of the Political Action Club, nicknamed “PAC’s.”